In Bloom
by DrawnToDarkness
Summary: Speculation on a storyline yet to air so stay clear if you want to stay unspoiled. Nick asks Jess for advice. Nick/Jess friendship/pre-ship. Updated 14th April: now a series of linked one-shots.
1. In Bloom 1: Flowers and Friendship

First New Girl fic. Eep! *is nervous* Nick/Jess friendship with a little hint of maybe more in the future. Spoilers for speculation on unaired episodes (well, one storyline) so turn away now if you know nothing and want to stay that way.

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><p>When Nick asks her for advice one day on what flowers he should buy for Caroline, Jess can only just resist telling him not to bother. She, like their other roommates, is certain the relationship will be over before the flowers have begun to wilt.<p>

She doesn't want it to be, not really – for his sake, anyway. As much as she loathes Caroline ('loathes' is a good word, she decided one drunken night with Cece. 'Hate' is too strong but 'dislike' doesn't seem strong enough), she hates the thought of Nick being hurt again.

Instead, she gives him her best diplomatic smile, puts her own feelings aside, and advises him that he should chose whichever flower he feels suits Caroline best.

(A cactus comes to mind instantly but Jess bites her tongue. One, because it might remind him of another ex-girlfriend and two because she doesn't want him knowing how much she really, really loathes his former-ex-now-current girlfriend.)

Nick gives her his traditional upturned smile in return, making her heart both flutter and ache simultaneously in her chest. His brow furrows and he thanks her for her advice in a tone of voice that suggests she's been no help at all before leaving her alone on the couch, going off to hunt out Schmidt and Winston and ask for their advice, Jess is sure.

Alone with her thoughts, Jess stares blankly at the television.

Spencer never bought her flowers, she remembers, waiting for the usual pang that strikes her when she thinks of her ex, blinking in surprise when it doesn't come. She remembers him bringing her daisies on Valentine's Day once, recalls the long speech he gave her about having picked them himself rather than spend a small fortune on shop bought flowers.

She'd thought it romantic at the time; now she sees the gesture for what it really was. A cheap attempt at making it look like he'd remembered it was Valentine's Day, an attempt at making it look like he'd been thinking about her.

Even though her relationship with Paul had been short-lived, he'd bought her a rose once, from a street vender on their way back from dinner out. She'd taken the flower with a smile and a kiss as that was what was expected of her.

Roses, especially of the red variety, were pretty enough but she thought they were too common, too traditional. Red roses were supposed to be romantic but, in Jess's mind, red roses were an easy way of making a gesture without thinking about the person it was being made to.

(And, her mind added guiltily, roses bought on the street reminded her not of her ex-boyfriend, but of a certain roommate.)

Russell bought her roses once, too, trying to impress her on a date. He must've seen something in her face, though, because for their next date, he'd foregone the roses and settled on orchids instead. Beautiful, exotic, expensive orchids that had taken her breath away... and left her feeling more than a little out of her comfort zone.

She wasn't an orchid kind of girl, really. No more than she was a red roses kind of girl. The daisies, loathe as she was to admit it - and there was that word again - were probably more her kind of flower than any of the others.

Not that she'd ever tell Spencer that. Oh, no. That ship had well and truly sailed – and sunk.

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><p>Time passes, Nick buys Caroline roses and, a few weeks later, Jess comes home to find him sitting on the couch, empty beer bottles scattered on the table and floor around him as Schmidt and Winston do their best to cheer him up.<p>

Caroline has dumped him again, to no one's surprise but Nick's.

Really, Jess thinks, for someone so cynical, he can be quite naive when it comes to the pretty blond who's made it a hobby to trample on his heart.

She plays the part of dutiful friend and housemate, assuring him he did nothing wrong, that the break-up wasn't his fault and he deserves better than Caroline. She, Schmidt and Winston take it in turns to stay up late with their nocturnal friend, letting him cry on their shoulders – literally – and listening to his often slurred ramblings that he was destined to be alone for the rest of his life.

As days turn into weeks and weeks into a month, Schmidt and Winston either lose patience or find themselves distracted by their own relationships.

Jess stays loyal; foregoing the hours of beauty sleep Cece keeps telling her she should have in order to keep Nick company.

She doesn't notice when their late night conversations stop being about Caroline and the disaster she left in her wake but gradually, Nick gets over his break-up and they start talking about other things instead.

Her birthday rolls around before she knows it and, while hoping for some kind of reaction from her roommates, Jess isn't expecting it. So she's pleasantly surprised when the guys make her breakfast before she has to leave for work – pancakes with strawberries and ice cream – and feels something in her chest grow warm when Schmidt grumblingly admits that Nick's idea was a good one after he's eaten a small stack of pancakes of his own.

She goes to school thinking that's it, that's the extent of their contribution to her birthday celebrations but, again, she's surprised when she gets home.

Cece, Sadie, Shelby and a couple of other people she knows are there when she gets to the loft, invited by the guys to a small but no less enjoyable birthday dinner party in which far too much alcohol is drank to be sensible on a week night.

Along with the party, Jess finds herself surrounded by several brightly wrapped presents – a gift voucher to a pamper day from Cece, a bottle of her favourite perfume from Sadie, a box of her favourite chocolates from Shelby and a gift voucher from the guys promising she won't have to do the grocery shopping for a month and will vacate their loft so she can have a girl's night in (or a night in with the beau of her choice, Schmidt adds with a waggle of his eyebrows) without being interrupted.

Jess accepts the presents with a laugh and a hug, making sure no one is missed and using the pink wine she's drank as an excuse when she maybe lingers a second or two longer when hugging a certain single roommate.

Not that she needs an excuse, she realises; no one else noticed and Nick wasn't complaining.

As the night draws to an end, Jess thanks each of her roommates again, announcing without any sarcasm that they helped make it her best birthday ever.

Less than five minutes after setting foot in her bedroom, Jess realises that it just got better.

Sitting in a jug on the drawers next to her bed is a bunch of the cheeriest, happiest, Jess-like flowers she could imagine.

Sunflowers.

Her favourite, though she can't remember ever telling anyone that.

Giddiness makes her dizzy but she makes her way across the room to the small card propped up against the jug. It's a business card from the bar but the message scrawled across the back more than makes up for that.

_'Jess,_

_Happy Birthday – thanks for everything, you're the best._

_Nick.'_

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><p>End.<p> 


	2. In Bloom 2: New Beginnings

_I wasn't planning on writing another New Girl fic just yet - not when in the middle of trying to make headway on a new Tin Man story that promises to be a long one - but this came to me and wouldn't leave. Kind of have a vague idea of another story to follow so will see what happens._

_Hope you enjoy! :)_

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><p>When Nick stumbled through the loft door in the early hours of the morning, his face pale, eyes bloodshot and a more-than-half-empty bottle of vodka in his hand, his roommates immediately knew something was wrong.<p>

As Winston tried to prise the vodka from his hand, Jess put the kettle on to fix him a cup of coffee while Schmidt whispered possible theories to her, concerned but also curious at what had contributed to their friend's distressed state.

"Maybe it's Caroline," Schmidt muttered, missing the way Jess tensed momentarily. "Maybe she showed up at the bar with her new boyfriend."

It would fit, Jess thought, though she was disappointed at Nick's reaction if that was the case; the night's they'd spent talking on the couch after the others had long retired to bed had convinced her Nick was almost truly over his ex-girlfriend, had almost convinced that...

... Never mind. She shook her head and bit her lip to stifle a sigh, fixing a strong, steaming cup of coffee for her intoxicated roommate, adding a generous splash of cream to both sweeten the bitter liquid and cool it down so he could drink it without scolding.

It took three cups, and two hours, before he was able to answer their questions.

"Walt's dead," Nick said suddenly, the sound of his gravelly voice startling Schmidt, who'd started to doze on the couch. Winston shut off the basketball match he'd been watching with the volume low while Jess continued to look at him from her place at his side. "Had cancer. Didn't say. Died last night."

Walt, Jess found out, was the name of the man who owned the bar Nick worked in. She'd never met the guy – hadn't heard of him, if she was honest – but it was clear he'd meant something to Nick.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

"That's harsh, man."

"What about your job?"

Nick shrugged and stared into the cup of coffee as if it might be able to answer Schmidt's question. "His lawyer's coming to see me tomorrow," he muttered glumly. "I'll find out then."

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><p>For the second day in a row, Nick stumbled through the door in a state of shock. Being the only roommate in, Jess sent up a silent prayer of thanks that he at least appeared sober before ushering him over to the couch. She sat down beside him, waiting patiently for him to speak.<p>

There was an hour of comfortable silence, during which Jess fixed him up with a beer and herself with a glass of pink wine. She texted Winston and Schmidt her concern, received text messages from of reassurance from both of them that they were on their way home.

Nick chose to speak just minutes before they walked through the door.

"Walt... He left it to me. The bar. It's mine."

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><p>It took close to two months before the bar was in his name and the keys in his hand. Along with the moderately successful business, Nick found himself in receipt of a cheque that came with the stipulation that he spent it wisely – no drunken parties or weekends with the boys to Vegas, much to Schmidt's disappointment.<p>

It was Jess who suggested he use it toward the business, to rebrand and remarket and really put his stamp on the place.

_"This is your chance, Nick," _she'd told him with eyes round and shiny with a belief in him that still took his breath away to think of it. _"This is your opportunity. Walt obviously had faith that you could do it and I do, too."_

He wasn't sure how but he found himself believing it, too.

After several sleepless nights and brainstorming sessions with the guys, Nick finally decided on a direction for the bar. It was actually the girls who gave him the idea, one night when the guys were all glued to the TV watching basketball. Jess, Cece and Shelby sat at the table a few feet away, gossiping and giggling and getting tipsier as the night went on. It was only when he got up to get another beer that he saw what they were drinking – or, really, saw that there was little they weren't drinking.

They were making their own cocktails using whatever drinkable items they could find, both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety.

The bar didn't do cocktails, Nick realised. In fact, other than the expensive bars and clubs he only went to if dragged by Schmidt (and a couple of times by Caroline, but he told himself he wasn't going there), he couldn't think of one comfortable, relaxed place in the vicinity that did.

Let alone DIY-cocktails, allowing the drinker to chose what went in their drink and in which quantities.

Winston rolled his eyes at the idea, claiming he had little interest in drinking anything that didn't come from a beer bottle. Schmidt tried to play it cool but Nick could see the excitement in his friend's eyes. Cece shrugged in her coolly impassive way and said she'd check it out if such a place existed, Shelby offered a bright smile of encouragement and Jess... Maybe because of the pink wine based cocktails she'd been drinking, Jess squealed in excitement and threw her arms around him in an enthusiastic hug.

It was then Nick made a note to himself to make sure there was a regular cocktail list, too, for those who weren't adventurous enough or simply didn't want to think. And on that list, he decided, there'd always be a pink-wine based cocktail.

Not just for Jess, of course. For anyone who liked pink wine, though admittedly there was only one person he knew who did.

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><p>The day of the re-launch arrived scarily fast. Nick thought it was a bit like someone had discovered a time machine and decided to fast forward to the pivotal moment – no doubt to see him screw it up and fail in spectacular fashion.<p>

A little voice in his head told him not to be so cynical and to just enjoy the moment instead of fearing it; he didn't dwell too much on the fact that voice sounded suspiciously like a certain blue-eyed, bright and bubbly female roommate.

He paced behind the bar, fidgeting with the collar of the white shirt a certain roommate – again, one with blue eyes and a smile he was finding it increasingly difficult to say no to – had insisted he wear under the dark grey suit jacket Schmidt had picked out for him.

_"You need to look presentable," Jess had argued. "People are going to want to meet you."_

_"People? What people?" Even without having a mirror to hand, he knew from the expression on her face – slightly softer with an edge of exasperation – that he was making what she'd dubbed his 'turtle face'. "Who'd I have to talk to?"_

_"The paparazzi, man! The guys and girls coming to review the place!" Schmidt had bounced excitedly on the soles of his feet, clapping his hands with unrestrained glee. "It's gonna be the bomb, Nick! You're gonna have chicks hanging off every word you say!"_

_Jess hadn't looked as enthralled as Schmidt at that particular revelation but she'd sided with Schmidt when he produced the jacket, insisting he needed to project the right image._

And here he was. Standing in front of the bar he'd spent most of his adult life standing behind, waiting for the doors to be opened by the security Cece had told him he needed for the event.

"You'll be okay." For a moment, he thought the voice was in his head again. He was glad of the dim lights when he felt his cheeks heat after realising the real Jess was standing beside him. Her eyes glowed, her smile was radiant.

Above all else, she was looking at him with such confidence, such admiration – respect! For him! – that it doubled the number of butterflies already battling it out in the pit of his stomach.

When he didn't speak, Jess reached out and put her small hand on his arm. "Cece told a couple of her model friends, and they've told friends of their friends so there's guaranteed to be a good crowd and a bit of a buzz. It'll be great, Nick. You'll be great." She took a deep breath, almost as if steeling herself. Nick wondered what for until she stood up on her toes and he felt the warmth of her pressed against him as her lips brushed his cheek. When she pulled back, her cheeks were lightly flushed and she couldn't seem to meet his gaze. "Good luck!"

He came to his senses before she could dart away, grabbing her arm when she would've left him standing in the middle of the floor alone. When she gave him a confused look, Nick found he could only shrug one shoulder in response. "You got me into this," he pointed out, "only fair you suffer through it, too."

Jess's answer was a blinding smile and a promise that she wouldn't go anywhere. When the doors opened ten minutes later, his staff – geez, he had staff! – got to work and left him to meet and greet his guests.

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><p>There were reporters and photographers, critics and party-goers galore. Nick's head had spun with the attention and he'd fought the urge more than once to hide in the backroom, the space that was now his office, but the woman who stuck to his side all night helped him keep his nerve.<p>

Less than twelve hours later, an exhausted but excitable Jess bounced into his bedroom with far more energy than someone who'd had less than a few hours sleep should have. She didn't give him time to wake up fully before thrusting the newspaper in his face, babbling excitedly about the write up the bar had been given.

Nick read the words but barely took them in. He felt the beginnings of a grin at the corner of his mouth and gave up the battle to suppress it when Jess all but threw herself at him, hugging him tightly and telling him she'd known he could do it.

Later, when left alone to finally get some sleep, Nick picked up the newspaper from where it'd fallen on the floor and smoothed out the wrinkles, another grin appearing on his face as he looked at it.

It wasn't the review that made him smile, though, nor the critic's confident words that he was sure the bar would be a success. It was the photograph that accompanied it that Nick knew he'd cut out and keep, the one with the caption that Jess obviously hadn't noticed – or had and didn't mind, that little optimistic voice pointed out.

An image of himself standing in front of the bar, a glass of something sparkling in his hand and his arm wrapped around Jess's waist, face tipped towards hers as he listened to whatever she was saying. His dark-haired, blue-eyed roommate was in turn pictured gazing up at him, an infectious smile on her face as she leaned up to be heard above the noise.

_'Bar owner Nick Miller and date, Jess Day, celebrate a successful new beginning.'_

Maybe, Nick thought, lying back down with the newspaper within reach, maybe it could be a beginning for something else, too.

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><p>The End, for now... ;)<p> 


	3. In Bloom 3: Past and Present

_I'm... not entirely happy with some parts of this but staring at the screen wondering how to rewrite it so I would be was driving me a little crazy. So here you go – another (and quite important!) glimpse into the lives of Jess and Nick in this little universe of mine. :)_

_Thank you to everyone for your reviews and follows etc. too – for some reason, isn't letting me reply right now but I wanted to say how much I appreciate all of the support *hugs*_

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><p>They were kind of dating without realising it. It wasn't until Cece, Shelby and Sadie, taking advantage of the voucher the guys had given her for her birthday, had a rare girl's only night in the loft that Jess realised it. Of course, that was only the others pointed it out – and she'd finished almost a whole bottle of pink wine on her own.<p>

Their roommates started to pair off with more and more regularity; Winston with Shelby and Schmidt and Cece with each other. It seemed only natural that while that was happening, Nick and Jess would spend more time together.

Time, Cece told Jess firmly, that the single teacher could be using to find herself a new man... unless she already had one, of course.

Jess had blushed but, tellingly in the opinion of her friends, hadn't answered.

A week after that, Shelby and Winston, Cece and Schmidt were having a double date at the loft. Instead of joining them like a fifth wheel because Nick was working, Jess told them she'd go out for the evening... and, instead of spending time with Sadie like she said she was going to, she found herself heading to the bar.

Her favourite seat was quickly vacated – Jess didn't know what was said or done but she soon found herself sitting at one end of the counter, away from most other people but next to Nick, where he stood and served and generally kept an eye on the place. Any doubts she had on whether or not she'd done the right thing by showing up unannounced died the second Nick came out of his office and saw her, the serious expression on his face fading into a welcoming grin she knew was genuine.

"Hey." He did a cursory scan of the bar to make sure everything was running smoothly, and then leaned on the counter opposite her. "You want a drink?"

"Sure." So she had something to do other than reach across the counter and drag him towards her, a blush staining her cheeks at the thought, Jess reached for the cocktail menu, a smile curling her lips at the array of colourful names and descriptions printed neatly on it. "What would you recommend?"

She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or the lighting in the bar but Nick seemed to flush as he pointed out the drink he knew she usually chose. Aptly named a Pink Sunflower, the drink combined the name of her favourite flower with her favourite pink wine and a heady mix of juices that somehow worked together.

"I can make it weak since you've got school tomorrow," Nick offered quietly.

Touched at the thoughtful gesture, Jess found she could only nod and put the cocktail menu back as he went to fix her drink. She watched him move, getting what he needed and concentrating on putting it all together to make her drink. He'd changed in the months since he'd inherited the bar, had become so much more confident, so much more like the man she always thought he could be.

He was still the Nick she knew and lo—Jess blushed and shook her head. He was still Nick, but he was happier, contented, and that just made him all the more attractive, in her eyes.

And in other women's, she thought with a sigh, watching as he got distracted half-way through making her drink by a woman in a tight red dress, leaning provocatively over the bar to ask him what Jess was sure was an unnecessary question.

It wasn't the first time she'd seen someone try and get his attention while he was working, and it only got worse when the women that flirted and threw themselves at him found out he wasn't just the good looking albeit still a little scruffy bartender but the owner, too.

Resigning herself to being alone for a few moments, Jess stared down at the counter, idly tracing patterns on its smooth surface with a fingertip. Having expected to be on her own for a while, she jumped when a glass was slid across the counter towards her and looked up, blinking, to find Nick watching her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"You okay?" He asked quietly, dragging a stool from under the counter so he could sit down opposite her. "You've been distracted recently."

Knowing that recently meant since her night in with the girls – and her subsequent realisation that maybe they were kind of dating, closely followed by the revelation that 'maybe kind of' wasn't enough for her, Jess pulled the glass toward her, plucking out the plastic sunflower decoration for something to fidget with.

"Oh, it's nothing." She made an attempt at a careless grin but from the downturned smile on his face, she wasn't sure it succeeded. "Just end of school year stuff."

"Anything I can help with?"

The offer made it easy to offer him a genuine smile of thanks. "I'll let you know."

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><p>Not more than an hour later, the not-official-couple were engrossed in conversation when their roommates arrived at the bar with their girlfriends. Schmidt and Winston's first impulse was to join Nick and Jess at the bar but they were persuaded not to by their other halves.<p>

"If we're always with them when they're together, neither of them will ever make a move," Cece pointed out.

The foursome settled in a booth, far enough away so they wouldn't be spotted if their friends happened to look in their direction but close enough that they could observe what was going on without having their view obstructed by too many other people. When a member of Nick's staff recognised them, they swore the woman to secrecy and made a deal to double her tip if she kept them supplied with drinks all night, making it unnecessary for one of them to head to the bar and risk being seen.

As they watched, Nick reached across the counter to touch Jess's hand as he said something that made her laugh. Cece smiled, Shelby sighed happily, Winston rolled his eyes and Schmidt grumbled to himself. "Why doesn't he just man up and tell her how he feels?"

They'd been watching the Nick and Jess show for almost half an hour when Winston swore and kicked Schmidt under the table. As Schmidt launched into a rant about how easily he bruised, Winston pointed towards the door, the glare on his face enough to end Schmidt's tirade before it had had a chance to begin.

"What the...?"

"Is that who I think it is...?"

"Caroline," they said together. Cece twisted in the booth to glare at the woman in question, who was oblivious to the model's wrath as she fixated on her ex and the woman commanding his attention at the bar.

"Should we do something?"

"Should we stop her?"

"How can we do that without..."

"Too late. Jess's seen her."

"And now so has Nick..."

"Aw, man. Just when it was getting good."

Winston and Schmidt slumped down into the booth, their good moods evaporating swiftly. Shelby patted Winston's hand sympathetically. Cece shuffled closer to the edge of the booth, preparing herself to follow Jess out of the bar when the inevitable happened and Nick ignored her friend in favour of the ex who seemed to have him under some sort of spell.

All four watched, unable to look away, as Caroline joined the would-be couple.

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><p>He didn't notice her at first.<p>

While he'd developed some kind of sixth sense that helped him know the moment Jess entered the room, Nick hadn't realised Caroline was there until Jess trailed off mid-sentence, her attention wandering. He studied his roommate and friend, wondering at the way her shoulders slumped and her smile disappeared. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong until he followed her line of sight and caught a glimpse of the blond woman striding determinedly towards them.

Caroline.

Nick waited to feel something, anything, but even when she gave him the smile that used to make his blood quicken and his heart pound, he felt... nothing.

Glancing at Jess, he caught sight of the downcast expression on her face and felt an answering ache in his chest. Staring at her, willing her to look up, he couldn't help but grin at her when she did, something in his chest fluttering when she timidly returned the gesture with a shy smile of her own.

"Nick, hi! It's so good to see you again!" Caroline turned her smile up a notch as she joined them at the bar. All but ignoring Jess, she sat down on an empty stool. "I heard the place had changed and just had to come and have a look. I can't believe what you've done with the place – you must be so pleased!"

"I had a lot of help." Nick's gaze lingered on Jess, long enough for the dark haired woman to blush. "If you want a drink, Caroline, I'm sure Seb would be happy to serve you."

Seb, a member of staff who'd stuck with him and the bar throughout its re-launch, was serving a little ways along the counter.

The not-so-subtle brush off dimmed her smile just a little but Caroline remained in her seat. "I thought we could sit down and talk if you're not too busy. Catch up and see how things are."

"I am busy." The firm tone he used surprised her, surprised Jess and, if he was honest, surprised himself, too. "And I think it'd be best if we didn't catch up."

An indignant flush coloured Caroline's cheeks. She looked from Nick to Jess and back again, her eyes narrowing suspiciously. "Nick, I really think we should talk. Without an audience. If we're going to salvage our relationship..."

"We don't have a relationship to salvage," Nick interrupted. "And anything you want to say to me can be said in front of Jess."

"Your roommate?" Caroline somehow managed to make the word sound derisive.

Looking uncomfortable, Jess started to get up from her stool. "Maybe I should go..."

"Maybe you should," Caroline agreed haughtily.

"No." Nick reached out and took hold of Jess's arm. He loosened his grip when she looked at him curiously, slipping his hand down over her wrist until he could lace their fingers together. "She's more than my roommate, Caroline," he said softly, his gaze never leaving Jess's face.

"You two are together? Seriously?" Caroline looked stunned but it wasn't her reaction Nick was interested in. He barely heard her incredulous words, focusing instead on Jess. "I know you were probably desperate when we broke up, but really, Nick, sleeping with your roommate? Were you really that desperate?"

Her words garnered a reaction from him, the first response he'd had to her since he'd noticed her walk into the bar. Nick turned to her slowly, his brown eyes flashing. He opened his mouth to retort, his cheeks feeling hot with the temper he could feel rising inside him.

"Nick." Jess's voice was calm, her slim fingers tightening around his. "It's not worth making a scene over."

'She's not worth it,' the little voice in the back of his head that sounded so much like Jess added silently.

Nick couldn't help but agree wholeheartedly with the statement and felt some of the anger fade. He nodded and stepped around the bar, still keeping his grasp on Jess's hand. When he was standing beside her, he used his hold on her hand to help her to her feet, letting go of her only to slide his arm around her waist instead.

"Seb," he called out, waiting until the bartender looked up at him. "I'm heading home. You okay to close down tonight?"

"Sure thing, Boss." Seb gave him a thumbs up and a knowing grin, sending Jess a wink that made her blush prettily. "Enjoy the rest of your night."

"We will." Barely glancing at Caroline, Nick ushered Jess around and away from her, keeping himself between the two women. "You're welcome to stick around, Caroline, but I think it'd be best if you didn't come back."

For once, the blond was speechless and was left to sit on the stool and watch as Nick walked away, the new woman in his life tucked securely into his side.

It wasn't until they were outside, when the cool air hit them, that Jess moved away slightly, tilting her face up so she could see him. The look in her blue eyes was uncertain, the small smile on her face shy and almost... hopeful.

"You didn't have to do that," she told him softly. "If you'd wanted to talk to her, I would've made myself scarce."

In response, he turned to face her fully, one arm still around her. "If I'd wanted to talk to her, I would've done." He shrugged when she just continued to stare at him, a little uncomfortable but realising he had to work through it in order to say what he needed to. "Look, Jess, Caroline... She's a big part of my past but that's it. It's my past. I want... Getting the bar was the beginning of something new and I'd thought... I'd hoped... Well, what I'm trying to say is that I want..."

'That new beginning to be with you,' was what he'd been planning to say, was the line he'd rehearsed over and over to himself after reading the caption of the picture that he kept in the top draw of his beside cabinet.

The words went unsaid but as Jess moved to stand on her tiptoes and pressed her lips against his, the kiss a little shy, a little awkward at first, Nick knew she understood what he meant.

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><p>The End... ;)<p>

_Hope you enjoyed it – there might be another scene set somewhere in the future for these two at some point. Or maybe another fic altogether, if I get any ideas. Thanks again for all the support! Now it's back to distracting myself with the Tin Man fandom while I wait impatiently until I can watch last night's New Girl ep!_


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